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Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
KBO's 2 best clubs to square off in Seoul
The two best clubs in South Korean baseball will test their mettle against each other when they square off for three games in the nation's capital this week. The LG Twins, leading the Korea Baseball Organization at 33-18-1 (wins-losses-ties), will host second-place Hanwha Eagles (31-21-0) for a three-game set at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul starting Tuesday. It is the most intriguing showdown in the league this week, one that many would not have circled in their calendar two months ago, after the end of the first three-game series between these two teams. The Twins swept the Eagles at Jamsil in their March 25-27 series, outscoring their opponents 11-1 with a 5-0 shutout and then a 4-0 shutout in the first two games. After those three games, the Twins improved to 5-0-0 for the season to stay in first place, while the Eagles fell to 1-4-0, tied with two others for the worst record in the KBO. While the Twins have mostly maintained their supremacy despite some injury issues, the Eagles have completely turned their season around, on the strength of an eight-game winning streak followed not long after by a 12-game winning streak. Since 2 1/2 games separate the two clubs, the Eagles can overtake the Twins for the top spot with a sweep this week. Driving the Eagles' turnaround has been their starting pitching. Cody Ponce, their undisputed ace and the most dominant starter in the league so far, is in line to start Wednesday. He is tied for the KBO lead with eight wins and holds the outright leads in strikeouts (97) and ERA (1.63). The first-year American pitcher has not yet faced the Twins. For the Twins, their top homegrown pitcher, Im Chan-kyu (7-1, 2.56 ERA), will be available during this series. Im threw a complete game shutout against the Eagles in his season debut on March 26, when he allowed only two hits and struck out five. Also for the Twins, Australian pitcher Coen Wynne will make his final KBO appearance Wednesday. He joined the club in late April as a temporary injury replacement for Elieser Hernandez, who is scheduled to be back Friday. On offense, Twins slugger Austin Dean will try to extend his home run streak to five games. With 16 home runs, Dean is second in the KBO, four back of Lewin Diaz of the Samsung Lions. After playing the Eagles, the Twins will bring home the Samsung Lions on the back end of their six-game homestand. The Eagles will visit the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park for the Friday-Sunday weekend series. It will be the first set of games in the southeastern city of Changwon since March 29. During a Dinos game against the Twins that day, a piece of aluminum panel fell from above a concession stand and struck an unsuspecting fan, who died of a head injury two days later. Amid extensive safety inspections at the stadium, the Dinos spent the entire month of April and the first couple of weeks in May on the road. They settled on Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan, some 70 kilometers northeast of Changwon, as their temporary home starting May 16. The Dinos played six games there before announcing last Friday that they will be back in Changwon this week. The last-place Kiwoom Heroes made a big roster change last Monday, replacing outfielder Yasiel Puig with pitcher Raul Alcantara, who will make his KBO return this week. Alcantara previously pitched for the KT Wiz and the Doosan Bears between 2019 and 2024, and will take on the Bears on Friday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Yasiel Puig released by KBO League's Kiwoom Heroes
May 19 - Former MLB standout Yasiel Puig was released by the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League in South Korea and said in a social media post he will be returning to the United States. Puig, 34, who burst onto the scene with the Los Angeles Dodgers in June of 2013, was in his second stint with Kiwoom and played in 40 games this season, batting .213 with a .285 on-base percentage, according to KBO Insider Daniel Kim. In a post to X, Puig said he is returning to Los Angeles to get "necessary treatment" for a shoulder injury. "I want to thank my Heroes team for fully supporting me in this transition as I keep aiming to achieve my goal in my baseball career," Puig said in the post. "Although I will not be returning to Kiwoom this year, my heart is with my Kiwoom teammates and fans, I have grown to love and admire you all so much. Thank you for the opportunity." Puig also played for the Heroes in 2022, batting .277 with 21 home runs in 126 games that season. An All-Star in 2014, Puig spent six of his seven MLB seasons with the Dodgers, batting .277 with an .823 OPS in 861 total games with 132 home runs and 415 RBIs. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians in 2019. Puig's post-MLB career also included two separate stints with El Aguila de Veracruz in the Mexican League. --Field Level Media
San Francisco Chronicle
19-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Giants set their sights on Jung Hoo Lee at WBC: ‘Whoa, we might have something here'
Japan had everyone's attention in the 2023 World Baseball Classic; the lasting image of that tournament will be Shohei Ohtani hurling his glove and hat in celebration after striking out Team USA's Mike Trout to clinch gold for their star-studded team. Days earlier, members of the San Francisco Giants front office watching the WBC were captivated by a young center fielder playing for South Korea. Jung Hoo Lee, the Korean Baseball Organization's superstar with little experience against high-end pitching, had handled Japan star Yu Darvish, already one of MLB's greats, like a pro. In his first at-bat against Darvish, Lee hit a foul ball into the seats in right before he flied out. In his next at-bat, Lee stroked the first pitch from Darvish for an RBI single. Lee had more in store for Shota Imanaga — a pitcher who'd later become a top starter with the Chicago Cubs — smoking an opposite-field double off him. 'I was a KBO player and had never faced high-quality pitching like that,' Lee said with Justin Han interpreting. 'It was my first time going for a step up. It was nice playing against them, but at the same time it was nice that I got a hit against both of them.' South Korea lost big, but Lee, expected to be posted by his Kiwoom Heroes the next year, had won the Giants over. Not only because he handled Darvish and Imanaga — there were concerns that his bat-to-ball skills wouldn't translate to the MLB level — but because of his reaction afterward. 'After the double, I remember him looking and screaming into the dugout,' Giants general manager Zack Minasian said. 'I was thinking, 'Whoa, we might have something here.'' The brash confidence, the effortless-yet-audacious play; Minasian, then-president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and the Giants' brass all felt that the reward of bringing Lee to San Francisco would outweigh the risk of turning a young KBO phenom into their marquee player. Nearly two years and a regime change later, Lee is transforming into just the player the Giants saw that day in Tokyo. Lee is having a breakout year and has positioned himself as a potential All-Star, sniffing near the upper echelon of the game's best outfielders such as San Diego's Fernando Tatis, Arizona's Corbin Carroll and Chicago's Kyle Tucker. Behind Lee's 1.3 fWAR is a center fielder with expansive range now taking much better jumps than in his 2024 debut (cut short due to a torn labrum) and a hitter very much comfortable in his own skin. For all those concerns that Lee would need a lengthy period to learn about big-league pitching, he often hits like he's been in the bigs for years. While big-name players boast lightning-quick bat speeds, Lee, 26, racks up hits with one the slowest. His 68.7 mph bat speed is in the bottom 11th percentile and well below the league average of 72 mph. But what he lacks in bat speed and exit velocity he more than makes up for in his ability to square-up, put the ball in play and rarely swing through pitches. He's transformed into a line drive maestro with a penchant for power on the big stage. He hit three home runs in rain-soaked Yankee Stadium and another in a series win against the Chicago Cubs, then returned home to blast a three-run home run at Oracle Park on Korean Heritage Night. The few healthy weeks he got last year gave Lee the chance to make adjustments on the field. Pitchers were throwing him inside and Lee was hitting into too many uncompetitive ground balls as a result. The lefty has an open stance, his front foot positioned 33 degrees open toward first base last year. This year, Lee opened his stance even wider, to 41 degrees. As a result, his ground-ball rate has dropped from 45.5% to 41.7% and he's pulling the ball for more line drives, from 14.2% in 2024 to 19.4% of his at-bats this year. Lee's quick assimilation is of no surprise to Giants folks who had been watching his KBO career nearly from its start in 2017. Just as important as the at-bats against Darvish and Imanaga were was Lee's gracefulness at the plate. Minasian, the Giants' VP of pro scouting then, remembers watching a KBO at-bat in which Lee left his feet to hit a pitch in at his shins for a single through the 3-4 hole. 'It's pretty amazing. That type of bat control you don't typically see that much,' Minasian said. 'He was always in control of his body. If you asked him to stand on tippy toes on one leg, he'd be able to do it and be perfectly balanced. Even when he takes an off balance swing, he still keeps his hands in a good spot to make relatively hard contact.' And that outfield athleticism? It was a huge plus that Lee had seamlessly moved from middle infielder to the outfield as an 18-year-old in his first year as a pro, the same year he won the KBO's Rookie of the Year award. The Grandson of the Wind was raking in KBO MVPs, Gold Gloves and batting titles before he turned 25. 'Starting with athletic players that move from the dirt and stay in the middle of the field — that was all very attractive,' said Sam Geaney, a Giants special assistant who works in international scouting. Though tampering rules didn't allow teams to engage with Lee directly, Lee couldn't help but notice the influx of Americans in the stands watching him play when word spread of Lee's potential move to MLB. Geaney, Giants' director of international scouting Joe Salermo and Pacific Rim scout Evan Hsueh were among those that pushed for the Giants to track Lee. 'That's when it clicked, let's keep an eye on this guy,' Minasian said. 'I knew because during spring training, it got crazy with all the Giants scouts coming over,' Lee said. Grace and athleticism aside, what stood out to the Giants was the way Lee embraced the stage. He pumped up his teammates after that double against Imanaga in the WBC and, when he caught sight of scouts watching him, would sometimes wave in acknowledgement. Confident, Minasian remembers thinking. 'He jokingly waved to me at a game I saw in Busan,' Minasian said. 'I stood out in Korea, there weren't many people like me at batting practice to begin with. Which speaks to his personality.' Now, Jung Hoo Lee mania is taking over San Francisco. He's inspired the creation of a grassroots fan group called the 'Hoo Lee Gans.' Fans at Oracle Park chant 'Jung! Hoo! Lee!' in unison, hoping for something spectacular every time he hits. Lee has often delivered; he's batting .276 with a .782 OPS and six home runs and 29 RBI — despite the slow bat speed. President of baseball operations Buster Posey and Minasian are taking Lee's influence as a sign. Having slightly scaled down pursuits in the Pacific Rim in recent years after a few swing-and-misses on Japanese stars such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Posey and the front office are ramping up efforts again. He and Minasian recently traveled to Japan to get Posey acquainted with Nippon Professional Baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have been the favorite landing spots for players out of Asia. Lee's success affirmed to them that San Francisco should be a destination, too, and the club has the resources to compete. 'I think it just reaffirmed what a good destination San Francisco is for international players,' Minasian said. 'Hopefully Jung Hoo is a poster child for that and I think it breeds confidence into the front office that we can go after these players again and make it known that this is a great place to play. I know Buster is really excited about spending time in Japan and watching NPB games and seeing where it takes us.' Lee said he'd 'like to have a Korean players coming into the clubhouse,' and hopes he can help. 'If the team wants me to help, I could support them in any kind of way,' Lee said. In a way, he may already be.
Newsweek
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Rangers Sign 'Korean Ohtani' Phenom Kim Sung-joon, Bypassing KBO Draft
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Kim Sung-joon is an 18-year-old Korean baseball prospect who many have been calling the "Korean Ohtani" because of his skills as both a pitcher and a hitter. Sung-joon opted to forego the KBO draft and instead begin his professional baseball career in the minor leagues with the Texas Rangers. CINCINNATI, OHIO - MARCH 31: A detail of the Texas Rangers logo on a hat in the dugout prior to a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31, 2025... CINCINNATI, OHIO - MARCH 31: A detail of the Texas Rangers logo on a hat in the dugout prior to a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. More Photo by) The Rangers signed Sung-joon to a contract that included a $1.3 million signing bonus, and it is unclear where he will begin his professional baseball journey. It would seem likely for Sung-joon to begin in the Arizona Complex League, but nothing has been confirmed quite yet. Sung-joon bats right-handed and pitches from the right side as well. The phenom has drawn comparisons to Shohei Ohtani in high school and is taking a path rarely taken by skipping the KBO draft. If more players follow in his footsteps, KBO baseball may take a toll in quality. But if the players stick in Major League Baseball, their careers will be far more fruitful among the best players in the world. With Sung-joon being just 18 years old, the expectation of immediate impact is non-existent, and his transition to the US will give him the time to get comfortable and gain experience at the professional level. The Rangers are looking to build upon the team that won the World Series just two years ago, and they hope Sung-joon is going to be an impact player for their future. Entering Friday, the Rangers' April woes have leaked into May as the team sits in fourth place in the American League West. The timeline is interesting for Sung-joon. If he performs in the minors and the Rangers' struggles continue, he may land on the major league roster sooner rather than later. More MLB: Marcus Semien's Slow Start Causing Concern For Rangers
Korea Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Eagles manager not wanting to put pressure on players amid long winning streak
The Hanwha Eagles are the hottest team in South Korean baseball at the moment, as their nine-game winning streak has pushed them to first place in the 10-team Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) standings with a 24-13-0 (wins-losses-ties) record. Their winning streak is all everyone in the KBO wants to talk about -- well, almost everyone. With the Eagles trying to stretch their streak to 10 games against last-place Kiwoom Heroes on Friday in Seoul, their manager Kim Kyung-moon said the winning streak was the last thing he wanted to discuss. "It's obviously nice to go on a winning streak but I think it puts so much pressure on the players," Kim said in his pregame session at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. "I'd like to ask the media not to talk so much about our streak. If the manager talks about that in the media, then the players who see that will get stressed out." The Eagles had earlier won eight straight games. And after dropping two games in a row, they began the current streak. They have not won 10 straight games since 1999. The Eagles have a dominant starting rotation, featuring Cody Ponce, the KBO's Player of the Month for the March-April period who leads the league with 66 strikeouts, and former major league ERA king Ryu Hyun-jin, the definition of a crafty lefty. But Kim insisted it hasn't just been the starters behind the team's winning ways. "Our bullpen has been excellent," he said. "And our position players have run the bases well and have made great plays on defense. And we've always had someone step up in key moments and deliver. Everything has been going well."
